What preterist out there, hasn't, at one time or another, not to mention those that hold to 'Replacement Theology', or anyone who doesn't uphold the nation/state of Israel as the true people, or Israel of God, been labeled anti-semitic? I know I have and other friends of mine who hold views somewhat similar to my own have. It's not that I mind being called something I'm not ( you know, 'sticks and stones............' ), but it's so far from being the truth, and I daresay that this is the case with many who are so wrongly accused.
What does Scripture say constitutes a Jew? Never mind the argument that the very word 'Jew' is derivative of the tribe of Judah; God said that a true Jew is one of faith, who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. In fact, He, through Paul, said that 'those who are of faith are sons of Abraham' ( my favored version, NKJV, adds 'only' to the beginning of this statement, but since it's not in thee Greek; I won't argue that point here ). I've been over this before, but when Paul said earlier, in the book of Romans, chapter 9, that , 'they [ are ] not all Israel who [ are ] of Israel'; I get quite heated, sometimes, when I ruminate on this! What else could this possibly mean, especially in conjunction with passages like Galatians 3:7, except that Israel is the people of God; period!
It's been made clear to me that the physical descendants of Abraham were simply pictures, as I often say, of the true 'Israel of God' that Paul wrote of in Galatians 6:16, the greater spiritual reality of God's chosen people, through promise, and not physical birth-right.
Merriam-Webster's On-line dictionary defines a 'semite', as 'a member of any of a number of peoples of ancient southwestern Asia including the Akkadians, Phoenicians, Hebrews, and Arabs', so, to call us anti-semitic is really unfair, and untrue, because, among most of us anyway, it is not really a racial thing, but a belief in action, or religious thing. At this point in time, especially, maybe, because of 9//11; we, as a nation, have a tendency to be leery of those of Arabic descent; so who's racist and anti-semitic, again?
I was called a 'Jew-hater' once, to my face ( who knows how many called me that behind my back ), by a dear friend of mine who has since passed on, and hopefully knows the truth now. He was pretty sick at the time, and as some would say, probably 'not in his right mind', and I quickly forgave him. It didn't really bother me, because I know the Truth, but I give this as an example for those who are often labeled accordingly. We are not Jew-haters; rather, we are Jew-lovers! Like I said earlier; Scripture says that the true Jew is the one who has faith ( believes ) that Jesus was the Messiah, and is the Son of God. In other words; those who actually see Israel for who she is, the Bride of Christ, now the Wife of God, the Church, and who love the brethren, are the exact opposite of anti-semitic, because we are not racially-motivated, as those who support the nation/state of Israel without compunction, but rather, we love those whom the Scriptures say are the true Jews, whether they be Caucasian, Hebrew, or Arab, Chinese, Mexican, or Negro.
Just some thoughts,
Charles Haddon Shank
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